When people think of Neil Diamond, they often picture sweeping anthems, emotional crescendos, and songs filled with belief, devotion, and hope. Yet buried quietly in his songwriting history is a track many fans never associate with him: “Nothing But A Heartache.” Not because it failed — but because Neil Diamond never truly claimed it as his own.
A familiar song with an unfamiliar voice
Most listeners know “Nothing But A Heartache” through its powerful 1960s recording by the British female soul group The Flirtations. The song’s driving beat, aching repetition, and raw emotional delivery made it memorable — but few listeners realized it was written by Neil Diamond. This disconnect led to years of confusion. How could a song so emotionally sharp exist outside the identity of one of America’s greatest storytellers?
Before fame, before identity
The answer lies in Diamond’s early career. In the early 1960s, before he became a household name, Neil Diamond worked as a staff songwriter at the legendary Brill Building in New York. At that time, writing songs was a job, not a personal statement. Songs were crafted to fit voices, markets, and trends.
“Nothing But A Heartache” emerged from that period. Structurally, it leaned heavily into soul and pop conventions — repetitive, urgent, emotionally relentless. Lyrically, it offered no redemption, no reflection, only pain. That alone explains why Diamond never recorded it himself.
A song that didn’t represent who he wanted to be
As Neil Diamond stepped into the spotlight as a performer, he became increasingly selective. His songs began to tell stories — about belief, longing, endurance, faith, and human connection. Even when sad, his music often reached toward meaning.
“Nothing But A Heartache” does the opposite. It circles pain without escape. For Diamond, that wasn’t a direction he wished to carry forward as an artist.
Instead, the song found its rightful home with The Flirtations, whose soulful, urgent delivery transformed the track into a powerful expression of heartbreak from a female perspective.
Silence as a creative decision
Interestingly, Neil Diamond has rarely spoken about “Nothing But A Heartache.” Not because he disowned it, but because it belonged to a version of himself he had already moved beyond. Artists evolve. And sometimes, growth means leaving behind songs that reflect who you were — not who you are becoming. For Diamond, this song represented an early emotional honesty, but also emotional confinement. It was written before he learned how to transform pain into purpose.
Rediscovery decades later
Years later, as fans and historians began tracing songwriting credits online, Neil Diamond’s connection to “Nothing But A Heartache” resurfaced. Suddenly, the song carried new weight — not as a forgotten hit, but as a missing chapter in his artistic journey. Why did he let it go? Because sometimes, an artist understands that not every truth needs to be sung by their own voice.
The beauty of the songs left behind
“Nothing But A Heartache” will never define Neil Diamond’s legacy. But it enriches it. It reminds us that before the anthems, before the stadium lights, there was a young songwriter wrestling with raw emotion — and learning how to let it go. In the end, some songs are not meant to be held onto. They are meant to be released — so the artist can move forward.